Magazine-type dispenser



f March 8, 1955 w. RAKIN HAL 2,703,664

` MAGAZINE-TYPE DISPENSER Filed July 12. 195o 4 sheets-sheet 1 f f l,

Maldl 8, 1955 w. RABKIN ET AL 2,703,554

v MAGAZINE-TYPE DISPENSER Filed July 12. 195o {sheets-'sheet s IN V EN TORS March 8, 1955 w, RABKlN ETAL 2,703,664L

MAGAZINE-TYPE DISPENSER- Filed July 12. 1950 I 4 Sheets-$116.61 4

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Tm: E W1 MW United States Patent O MAGAZINE-TYPE DISPENSER William Rabkin and Anthony J. Bencivenga, New York,

N. Y., assignors to International Mutoscope Corporation, Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation Application July 12, 1950, Serial No. 173,385

7 Claims. (Cl. 221 248) This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing articles, and especially to magazine-type dispensers in which articles are stacked in superposed fashion and the lowermost article of the stack is ejected by a reciprocatory slide.

It is an object of the present invention to make provisions in dispensers of this type for the ejection of the lowermost article therein with greater ease and less possibility of jamming the dispenser or damaging an article or articles, than heretofore.

It is another object of the present invention to make provisions in the dispenser for relieving the lowermost article in the magazine of a very substantial part of the load of the superposed articles thereon without, however, interfering in any way with the orderly descent of the stacked articles in the magazine as successive articles are being ejected therefrom until the magazine is exhausted, thereby requiring a minimum force for separating the lowermost article from the next article and ejecting the former.

It is another object of the present invention to have the above load-relieving provisions in the magazine of a dispenser for exceptionally flat articles, such as cards, for instance, thereby to assure the discharge of only a single article in unmarred or undamaged condition on each reciprocation of the ejector slide.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description'considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a dispenser embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the dispenser, showing the magazine thereof in elevation and taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections taken on the lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively, of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the dispenser as taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section through the dispenser as taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 5, showing the dispenser in a different stage of its operation;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section through a dispenser which embodies the present invention in a modified manner; and

Fig. l0 is a section similar to Fig. 9, showing the modified dispenser in a different stage of its operation.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, the reference numeral 10 designates a dispenser which, in the present instance, comprises a cabinet 12 and a magazine 14 therein. The cabinet 12 has, in this instance, bottom, rear, side and front walls 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24, respectively. The cabinet 12 may be open at the top as at 30, and is normally closed thereat by a cover 32 which may be hingedly mounted at 34 on the cabinet and kept closed by any conventional key lock 36.

The magazine 14 comprises, in the present instance, opposite side walls 40 and 42 and a rear wall 44, and serves for holding a stack of superposed articles a which, in the present example, are relatively stiff cards that may bear any desired depictions, for instance. The bottom of the magazine 14, on which the stacked articles rest, is formed by the adjacent anges 48 and 50 of angles 52 and 54, respectively, which may suitably be secured, as by weld- 2,703,664 Patented Mar. 8, 1955 ing, to the adjacent sidewalls 40 and 42, respectively, of the magazine (Figs. 5 to 7). The anges 48 and 50 also serve as a track 47 on which the lowermost article a' slides in the course of its ejection from the magazine. Welded or otherwise secured to the anges 48 and 50 is a plate 56 (Figs. 5 and 7) which not only reinforces the former in supporting the stacked articles a thereon, but also serves as a support for a slide 58 which is reciprocable in a guideway 60 between the spaced anges 48 and 50 (Figs. 5, 6 and 7). The magazine 14 is open at the top, as at 62 (Fig. 2), for loading the magazine with articles after first opening the cover 32 on the cabinet 12. The magazine 14, which is also open at the front, as at 64, is there provided with inward iianges 66 and 68 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) which extend near the discharge track 47 of the magazine and prevent the greater part of the stack of articles in the magazine from escaping through the open front 64 thereof. Continuing the retention of the articles in the magazine below the anges 66 and 68 is a plate 70 (Figs. 4 and 5) which may suitably be secured, as by screws 72, for instance, to lower outward anges 74 and 76 on the side walls 40 and 42, respectively, of the magazine (Figs. 4 and 6). The slide 58 is ush with the adjacent bottom-forming flanges 48 and 50 of the magazine (Figs. 5 and 7).

The magazine 14 may be mounted in any suitable manner in the cabinet 12. Thus, the magazine 14 may with its opposite side walls 40 and 42 stand upright on spaced U-shaped channels 80 and 82, respectively, on the bottom 16 of the cabinet, and be secured to these channels 80 and 82, in front by angle pieces 84 and 86, respectively, and in back by an angle 88. The angle pieces 84 and 86 may conveniently be bolted to the lower front flanges 74 and 76, respectively, on the magazine, and to the channels 80 and 82, respectively, in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The angle 88 may conveniently be bolted at 89 and 90 to inward lugs 92 and 94 on the magazine walls 40 and 42, respectively (Figs. 4, 5 and 7), and at 96 and 98 to the opposite channels 80 and 82, respectively (Figs. 3 and 5). The magazine 14 may further be secured near its top to the rear wall 18 of the cabinet 12 through intermediation of a U-shaped channel 100 (Figs. 2 and 3).

Ejection of the lowermost article a' of the stack from the magazine 14 is accomplished by an ejector blade 110 which may be welded or otherwise secured to the rear of the slide 58 (Fig. 5). The ejector blade 110 is in its inoperative or home position (Fig. 5) in engagement with a stop 112 that may be in the form of a metal strip which is welded or otherwise secured to the bottom-forming flanges 48 and 50 of the magazine. The angles 52 and 54 extend for some distance rearwardly of the magazine 14 so that the guideway 60 for the slide 58 is of sufficient length to admit the ejector blade into the home position shown in Fig. 5. The slide 58 is for its manual reciprocation connected at 114 with a rod 116 which extends through an opening 118 in the front wall 24 of the cabinet 12 (Fig. 5) and carries a handle 120. The slide 58 is normally urged into the home position shown in Fig. 5 by a compression spring 122 which surrounds the rod 116 and is interposed between the front wall 24 of the cabinet 12 and a washer 124 which is held against axial rearward movement on the rod 116 by a cross pin 126 therethrough. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bottom-forming flanges 48 and 50 of the magazine extend also in front of the latter for some distance, and the guideway 60 for the slide 58 is at the front terminated by a stop member 130 which may be in the form of a ller piece between the flanges 48 and 50 and serves to prevent outward pull of the slide 58 beyond the maximum advance position shown in Fig. 8, in which the lowermost ejected article a projects through a discharge opening 132 in the front wall 24 of the cabinet 12 where it may be grasped for complete removal from the dispenser. In order to lend to the discharge opening 132 a more conspicuous appearance, the same is preferably provided with any suitable moldinglike liner 134. As appears from Fig. 6, the ejector blade 110 is of smaller width than the magazine 14, and the recess 136 at the bottom of the rear wall 44 of the magazine, through which the blade 110 will pass when ejecting an article, is substantially of the same width as said blade 110, leaving thereby on the opposite sides of the recess 136 relatively short lugs 138 and 140, respectively, which are in the path of the second lowermost article a in the magazine and thus prevent its rearward movement with the ejector blade 110 on its return motion into the home position shown in Fig. 5. The plate 70 across the open front of the magazine 14 is provided with opposite downwardly extending lugs 144 and 146 (Fig. 4) which are so spaced from the adjacent bottom-forming flanges 48 and 50, respectively, of the magazine as to permit the ejection of the lowermost article a from the magazine, but to prevent the next succeeding article n from escaping with the lowermost article a on its ejection from the magazine (see also Fig. 8).

To prevent unauthorized withdrawal of an article from the magazine 14, as with an instrument inserted through the discharge opening 132 in the cabinet 12, for instance, there is provided at the forward end of the discharge track 47 a block bar 150 which. through intermediation of opposite arms 152 and 154 (Figs. 2, 3 and 6), may pivotally be suspended at 156 and 158 on opposite ears 160 and 162, respectively, on the plate 70. The block bar 150 may be made from any suitable roundstock. and machined in part to provide a at surface 164 with which normally to bear against the forward end of the discharge track 47 in the manner shown in Fig. 5, and block access to the lowermost article a' in the magazine from the discharge opening 132 in the magazine. In order to prevent any unauthorized person from manipulating the block bar 150 into its open position (Fig. 8) with a hook. for instance. through the discharge opening 132 in the cabinet, the attened bar 150 bears with its lower edge against the adiacent front edge of the plate 56 and with its upper edge against a plate extension 166 of the ears 169 and 162 of the plate 70 (Fig. 3), in such manner as to leave the flattened bar 150 unexposed for ready engagement by a hook. Preferably. the bar 150 is so light in weight that it will readily be cammed out of the way by the lowermost article a in the course of its ejection from the magazine (Fig. 8).

The instant dispenser has also provisions for relieving the lowermost article a in the magazine from a very substantial part of the load of the overlying articles. These provisions comprise` in the present instance. a pivoted obstacle or stop 170 which. as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. is in the form of an angle strip welded or otherwise secured to a pivot pin 172 which is rotatably mounted with its ends in brackets 174 and 176. repectively, on the rear wall 44 of the magazine 12 (Fig. 6l. The stop 170 is continued in the form of a follower 178. Both. the stop 170 and tbe follower 178 extend into the magazine through a slot 180 in the rear wall 44 thereof. 'The stop 170 is adapted to engage the rear edge of the lowermost article n" of a partial stack S of articles in the magazine so as to hold the overlying articles in the inclined fashion shown in Fig. 5. in which only a comparatively narrow marginal portion of the lowermost article n" of the inclined stack S rests against the comparatively low stack S of articles therebeneath. Thus. by the provision of the stop 170. a very substantial part of the load of all articles in tbe magazine is supported by the stop 170. and the lowermost article n in the magazine is relieved of this very substantial part of the load of the articles. Due to the load of the articles on the stop 170. the latter is urged in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 5. whereby the follower 178 is urged with a. concderable force against the adiacent articles and thereby relieves the stop 170 of a considerable part of its load of articles. as will be readily understood. As successive articles are. on successive reciprocations of the slide 58 and eiector blade 110. eiected from the magazine 14 through the discharge opening 132 in the cabinet l2 (Fig. 8l. the number of articles in the lower stack S on the discharge track 47 of the magazine will gradually diminish` permitting thereby one or more of the lowermost articles in tbe inclined stack S to clear tbe stop 170 and dron onto the lower stack S substantially at the same rate at which the latter is being exhausted by the eiection of articles. 'Thus` while Fig. 5 shows the lowermost article n of the inclined .stack S still safely supported at its rear edge nn the stop 170. Fig. 8 shows the same article n" released from the stop 170 and dropping onto the ton of the lower stack S after the latter has. through the eiection of cards` been reduced somewhat. Fig. 8 further shows that one or more of the next lowermost articles in the inclined stack S are released, or about to be released, by the stop 170 for gravity descent upon the lower stack S. The stop 170 thus permits the periodic replenishment of the lower stack S of articles substantially at the rate at which the same is being exhausted by the withdrawal of articles from the dispenser.

The stop 170 and follower 178 are provided with rearward extensions 171 and 179, respectively, projecting through the aperture at slot 180 in the rear wall 44 of the magazine to the outside thereof. The rearward extensions 171 and 179 cooperate with the portions 173 and 181, respectively, of the wall 44 in limiting the rotation of the stop 170 and follower 178 from their normal in the lower stack S operating position whereby the magazine may be reloaded with articles without any interference.

By providing the stop or obstacle 170 in the magazine 14, and thereby dividing the stacked articles therein into two stacks S and S, of which the upper stack S normally holds by far the greater number of the articles in the magazine in an inclined fashion, the lowermost article a on the discharge track 47 of the magazine is relieved of a very substantial part of the overall load of the articles in the magazine, and the static and kinetic frictions between the lowermost and next lowermost articles in the lower stack S in the magazine are reduced to a minimum. ln consequence, very little force is required in separating the lowermost article from the next lowermost article in the magazine and in ejecting said lowermost article therefrom. The possibility of jamming the dispenser or of marring or damaging an article or articles, is thus reduced to a minimum, and the dispenser will perform etliciently and without fail.

The instant dispenser may, of course, be readily transformed into a vender by simply adding to it any conventional coin mechanism and a lock device (neither shown) which normally locks the ejector slide 58 in its home position and releases it only on deposition 0f a coin in the vender;

Reference is now had to Figs. 9 and 10 in which is shown another form of load-relieving device 190, comprising an upper stop 192 and a lower follower 194 of which both are preferably formed from a single metal strip and have suitably secured thereto a pivot pin 196 which is journalled in opposite brackets 198, respectively, on the rear wall 44 of the magazine 14. The stop 192 and follower 194 project into the interior of the magazine through an aperture 200 in the rear wall 44 thereof. When loading the magazine with articles a, the latter will arrange themselves in a fashion like or similar to that shown in Fig. 9, in which the follower 194 is forced against the articles in the lower stack S1, and the stop 192 holds the articles in the upper stack S2 in inclined disposition on the lower stack S1. As articles rz are being ejected from the magazine, the number of articles in the stack S1 will diminish, whereby the stack S1 is separated into two stacks S3 and S4 by the follower 194 (Fig. l0). Thus, as the articles a beneath the follower 194 are, through withdrawals thereof, reduced in number, the articles adjacent the follower 194 are engaged by the latter with sufficient force to prevent them from immediately following the diminishing articles therebeneath. This action of the follower 194 brings about the separation of the stack S1 into the stacks S3 and S4 (Fig. l0) of which the articles in the latter stack are held by the follower 194 in an inclined disposition on the stack S3. As articles a in the lowermost stack S3 are withdrawn from the magazine, the lowermost article or articles in the next stack S4 will become more steeply inclined on the lower stack S3 until they clear the follower 194 and drop at on top of the latter stack. Similarly, as the stack S4 diminishes, the lowermost article or articles in the upper stack S2 will become more steeply inclined on the stack S4 until they clear the stop 192 and drop tiat on top of the latter stack. Thus, the stack S4 will replenish the lower stack S3 with articles substantially at the rate at which articles are withdrawn from the latter stack, and the stack S2 will replenish the stack S4 with articles substantially at the rate at which the latter stack replenishes the lower stack S3 with articles.

The stop 192 and follower 194 are provided with rearward extensions 193 and 195, respectively, projecting through the aperture 200 in the rear wall 44 of the magazine to the outside thereof. The rearward extensions 193 and 195 cooperate with the portions 197 and 199, respectively, of the rear wall 44' in limiting the rotation of the stop 192 and follower 194 from their normal operating position whereby the magazine mayA be reloaded with articles without interference, as described with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 8.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the present invention without departing from the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In article-dispensing apparatus, the combination with an upright magazine adapted to hold a stack of superposed articles, and means for ejecting the lowermost article from said magazine, of an inward pivotally mounted projection in said magazine intermediate its height, said projection being engaged by an edge portion of the lowermost article in an upper part of the stack and holding the articles in said upper stack part in inclined disposition on the remaining lower part of said stack, and the lower articles in said upper stack part progressively clearing said projection and dropping onto the top of said lower stack part as the latter decreases on the ejection of articles therefrom, said projection hav ing a follower on the opposite side of its pivot axis, said follower being adapted to be engaged by adjacent edges of the stacked articles for relieving the lowermost stacked article in said magazine from a substantial part of the load of the articles disposed above said lowermost article.

2. The combination in article-dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim l, in which said magazine has upright walls to confine the stack'of articles, and said projection is a surface extending from one of said walls inwardly of and downwardly in said magazine.

3. In article-dispensing apparatus, the combination with a magazine having upright walls, one being apertured, for conning a stack of superposed articles, and means for ejecting the lowermost article from said magazine, of a member pivotally mounted externally of said magazine about a substantially horizontal axis and having on opposite sides of its pivot axis a stop and a follower, respectively, of which both project into the interior of said magazine through said aperture in said one wall and said follower is engaged by the adjacent edges of the stacked articles and held thereby in an angular position in which said stop is engaged by an edge portion of the lowermost article in an upper part of the stack and holds the articles in said upper stack part in inclined disposition on the remaining lower part of said stack, and the lower articles in said upper stack part progressively clearing said stop and dropping onto the top of said lower stack part as the latter decreases on the ejection of articles therefrom.

4. The combination in article-dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which said member is pivotally mounted on said one wall of the magazine externally of the latter.

5. The combination in article-dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which said stop and follower are arranged on the lower and upper sides, respectively, of said axis and said follower is engaged by the adjacent edges of the articles in said upper stack part.

6. The combination in article-dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which said stop and follower are arranged on the upper and lower sides, respectively, of said axis, and said follower is engaged by the adjacent edges of the articles in said lower stack part.

7. The combination in article-dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which said stop and follower have rearward extensions, respectively, projecting through the aperture in said one wall of the magazine to the outside of the latter and cooperating with said one wall in limiting rotation of said member from its normal operating position so that the latter will permit re-loading of the magazine with articles without any interference.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

